When people ask me how I got started in ministry, I tell them I started by writing for free publications for free for 10 years. This is not what most people want to hear.
When I tell them I started by folding newsletters in the den of my home for several years, they seem crestfallen. Read more…
He did it again. The devil whispered a lie into my head, and I believed it. Of course, I didn’t know it was him. I thought it was just me. But it wasn’t.
Did you know the devil wants to sneak up on you? He prowls around like a lion just looking for the right opportunity.
If Satan came to you in a little red suit with a pitchfork and announced himself as the devil, Read more…
For years we were joined at the hip. Not a day went by when we didn’t talk on the phone at least once.
But sometimes friendships come unhinged. People change. Perspectives change. Purposes change. Passions change. While nothing went terribly wrong, and no hurtful words were exchanged, the void was vast beyond bridging. I felt tossed away. Discarded. Read more…
Sometimes I feel like such a mess, I wonder what God even wants with me. And then He reminds me that ALL His children are a mess in one way or another.
A common theme throughout Scripture is overcoming failure.
I’ll be honest, for most of my life I felt like I was in second place, an alternate, an also ran, not quite as good as everybody else.
I was a cheerleader my junior year in high school, but I was what they called an alternate. That meant I was on the squad and did everything that the other girls did, Read more…
I held Harper’s hand as we walked into the restaurant to place our name on the waiting list. Actually, I walked; my 7-year-old grandniece skipped.
I gave the hostess the number in our party, expressed the desire for an outside table, and told her yes, crayons, please. Then the hostess asked my name. I replied, “Sharon.”
Harper quickly corrected me: “No. Read more…
I was in college when I met my husband at a Bible study. He was sitting on the floor dressed in scruffy jeans, a red flannel shirt, and a strong face that needed a shave. The moment I saw him, I was smitten. But I didn’t want him to know that.
Steve finally asked me out on a date, Read more…
I wrote this devotion a while back, but I needed a reminder of what I learned that day. This New Year, wonder if you do too.
I set out to tackle a task I had put off for many years. I didn’t really want to do it at all. It was the job of cleaning out my ministry storage closet. Read more…
I know that most of you in my online family know the story of how I came to faith, but I realize that many of you don’t. So, I want to take today to share it with you. If you’ve heard it before, perhaps this would be an opportunity to forward it to someone who might be encouraged by it. Read more…
Do you remember the first Rocky movie? (I just looked it up and there have been eight.) In the very first film about the Italian Stallion, Rocky Balboa falls madly in love with the very demur Adrian who works at a Tropical Fish pet store.
Adrian is a very intelligent, shy, and cautious. Rocky is, well, none of those things. Read more…